Abstract
BackgroundA number of studies have reported association between Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) and Chlamydia infection and the risk of schizophrenia. The aim of the present study was to compare the prevalence of T. gondii and Chlamydia infection between the schizophrenia and normal control subjects and to compare the clinical features between seropositive and seronegative Korean schizophrenia patients.MethodsThe rate of serum reactivity to T. gondii, Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis), Chlamydia pneumonia in 96 schizophrenia and 50 control subjects was investigated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and indirect fluorescent antibody technique. The clinical symptoms of the schizophrenia patients were scored with Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and a comparative analysis was carried out.ResultsA significant positive association between immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to T. gondii and C. trachomatis in schizophrenia was found, and the odds ratio of schizophrenia associated with IgG antibody was found to be 3.22 and 2.86, respectively. The Toxoplasma-seropositive schizophrenia patient had higher score on the negative subscale N1 and N7 and general psychopathology subscale G13, while C. trachomatis-seropositive schizophrenia patient had higher score on the general psychopathology subscale G10.DiscussionThe results from the present study suggest significant association between T. gondii, C. trachomatis infection and schizophrenia. In future, further studies are needed to elucidate the correlation between the two types of infection and schizophrenia.
Highlights
The retina is part of the CNS and provides a window into brain structure and function that has been useful in examining schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders
We identify a general downregulation of miRNAs and upregulation of mRNAs in peripheral tissue in schizophrenia
Several significant correlations between miRNAs and mRNAs previously linked to schizophrenia and brain function suggest potential miRNA-mRNA interactions that may be significant for disease pathophysiology
Summary
S401 genome-wide significant schizophrenia-associated variants occur within two miRNA loci – MIR137 and MIR548AJ2. These small, non-coding RNAs are potent regulators of translation, can target a wide variety of transcripts, and are of particular interest in polygenic disorders such as schizophrenia. Results: 35 miRNAs and 97 genes were differentially expressed (FDR
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